The facility was scheduled to reopen earlier this year, but it has subsequently been delayed, with expenses climbing to £7.8 million. Following its closure, the council advertised for a company to take over day-to-day operations of the facility, proposing a five-year contract.

Norwich Theatre, which operates the Theatre Royal and Playhouse, made a bid, but the arts centre won.

The process was repeated earlier this year, and the arts centre was once again selected in the procurement process.

The director, Pasco-Q Kevlin, has accused the theatre of undermining its winning bids.

He alleged that on both occasions, the theatre threatened the council with legal action, forcing the council to cancel the proceedings entirely.

“Further challenges followed by an extended court process would have been financially demanding for the council with additional lawyers’ fees and executive time potentially costing hundreds of thousands of pounds,” he told me.

“The council had to consider if it would be prudent to spend public money defending and justifying their decisions.”

Mr Kevlin was “extremely disappointed” because the arts centre’s goal was to transform The Halls into a “cultural hub” that would have acted as the East of England’s “Southbank Centre”. He also claimed that Norwich City Council’s Labour leader, Mike Stonard, served on the theatre’s board.

In response, Stonard declared that he had “not been involved in any way, shape, or form in any decision making about the procurement process”.

Paul Moseley/BBC